The Ring
by TVD-Adventures
Summary: For Naomi, Satoshi, Ayumi, Yoshiki and Yuka the weight of living with their friends death was a heavy one. Searching frantically for anything that could promise the life of their friends, Ayumi found a spell using black magic. But a girl swoops in but not like a knight in shining armour, but rather a knight with a shiny ring resting on her thumb.
1. Prologue

It's so cold.

Why is it cold?

A

It shouldn't be cold!

The windows and doors were practically wallpaper on the blood covered walls. it shouldn't be cold.

She had to find him.

_But what if he was already dead?_

No. That was impossible.

_It's really possible._

She clutched her head as if in pain. A series of images played over and over in her mind.

A noose.

Knife.

Scissors.

Blue light.

Water.

Darkness.

A noose.

Knife.

Scissors.

Blue light.

Water.

Darkness.

A noose.

Knife.

Enough! She was going crazy.

Crazy. Would she feel her death if she was crazy?

No. She had to stay. For them. They are out there. Both of them were safe.

Regaining her balance, she stumbled down the seemingly never ending hallway. Her silver ring that scarcely fit her thumb started to reflect a light that wasn't there but she didn't see it through watery eyes.

It's so cold.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N The Names for the OC will be English names because I can...? Sorry if you don't like this or are uncomfortable with it.

She understood. One day she seemed calm, happy, preparing for the festival and then cleaning up for it but then the next day she was classed as 'Crazy' as she cried for a friend that was non-existent.

But did she _really _deserve this? The stares, the whispers and even sometimes the direct "Hey, Crazy!"

It was sometimes during these direct insults that Naomi would feel tears pricking behind her eyelids and a list of 'What If's' would race through her mind.

What is she just kept her mouth shut?

What if she just pretended that this was a phase?

What if she hadn't gotten into a fight with Seiko?

Of course, when the last question was asked Naomi was sure she was going to cry at the mention of her deceased best friend's name. But before anything drastic happened, Satoshi normally showed up and said something like "You're the crazy one if you think this is ok," or some speech about kindness before taking Naomi's hand and leading her away.

The same thing happened again. Just as it did everyday. But this time when they entered their class just before the bell rang, something was different.

Maybe it was the new air freshener that the annoying new teacher had put up or maybe the fact that Ayumi and Yoshiki were talking rather than an one-sided conversation.

Naomi noticed the way that Ayumi seemed almost _hopeful_.

None of the four had seen that emotion in a long time it seemed. Yuka probably saw that expression everyday in her friends that had high hopes for the future.

Naomi remembered a person who had a hopeful expression on her face all the time.

Seiko.

Until she killed her.

Feeling tears pricking at the back if her eyelids, Naomi took a deep breath before focusing on the work in front of her.

/

"I have a way to get them back."

Satoshi, Naomi, Ayumi and Yoshiki stood outside Kisaragi Academy that locked up minutes before. Satoshi called Yuka and told her to make her own way home as he was going to hang out with his friends. It wasn't as if Satoshi didn't think his sister wasn't adult enough to talk about Heavenly Host but rather that he wanted to keep these things hidden from her so she could live her life.

Naomi didn't want to go home as her mother would always talk to her with this plastic, happy voice that frankly annoyed Naomi a lot. She preferred to stay out and come home late so her mother would fluster and worry so it was almost like before all this happened.

Yoshiki was happy to have something to focus on. When he didn't have anything to do he would go back to his empty apartment and do nothing but think of everyone that died in Heavenly Host and every time it would hit him that they were really dead, that they weren't coming back. Every time it hurt just as much as the first.

Ayumi was just happy because she had finally found something to help all her friends that were stuck at the haunted school. It was better than constantly looking at her older sister's black magic book that Ayumi stole. The book held the promise of her friend's revival but the side affects were quite drastic. So drastic that when Ayumi told them, Naomi, Satoshi and Yoshiki instantly ruled it out.

"What?!"

The three were shocked. Yoshiki less shocked as Ayumi more or less told him in class but every time the thought of saving his friends sent a jolt that made him think that it wasn't the end just yet.

"Yeah," Ayumi grinned at the shocked expressions of her friends, "There's a woman that thinks she can help us!"

"Did you put our story on the internet for everyone to think we're crazy?" Satoshi gasped in disbelief.

"That's the best part. I didn't find her. She found me."


	3. Chapter 2

The five survivors of Heavenly Host stayed at Ayumi's house on Saturday morning until the afternoon.

As a fact, the woman wasn't supposed to arrive until 2pm but everybody was too jittery to sit around and wait.

Satoshi brought Yuka along as she was starting to get grouchy about being left out all the time. Naomi left her house earlier than everyone as her mother was on the the phone again saying things like "Where has my happy daughter gone?"

Ayumi was glad to have them over as she was sure she was sure if she didn't have anything to do she was gonna eat her hand in anticipation. Yoshiki was happy to get out of his apartment as his parents had called to tell at him because his grades had dropped heavily since the day of the festival.

"What do you think she'll be like?"

Yoshiki but his sandwich thoughtfully as he pondered Naomi's question and avoiding the dish towel that was thrown in his direction by Ayumi with a comment like "Close your mouth when you chew, you animal."

"I really don't know what she's gonna be like," Yoshiki finally answered.

"Well _I_ think," Ayumi started, "She's gonna be-"

The door bell rang. Everyone froze.

"Who's gonna answer the door?" Ayumi whispered.

"It's your house," Naomi whispered back.

Ayumi realising that in fact this was the residence of where she lived, she got up from her bar stool and approached the front door.

What was she worried about? It was going to be a kind woman who wanted to help them get their friends back. Unless it was all a hoax. Or it was the pizza man that they called hours before but never arrived. Damn that pizza man.

Grabbing the door handle and opening the door, Ayumi looked in shock at the woman that stood in the entryway with a man behind her.

"Hello."

The woman was tall and slim with long blonde hair tied in bunches with black bows while her long bangs framed her face. Her skin was a creamy colour and purple eyes were below her dark eyelashes. Her dark cream and black striped sweater and black skirt were completed with a brown leather messenger bag and navy journal that was clutched in her long fingers.

The man behind her had brown hair with grey headphones hooked around his neck and purple eyes. He had creamy skin and a orange t-shirt below a grey one with a v-neck and light blue jeans.

Ayumi then realised that she was gaping at them and mentally scolded herself before motioning them to enter the house with a quiet greeting.

When she closed the door and followed them to the kitchen, (Side Note: How did they know where the kitchen was?) Ayumi noticed that the man had a limp that he seemed to be trying to hide.

Shaking her head, Ayumi followed them to the kitchen where the woman sat on a bar stool in front of Naomi, Satoshi, Yoshiki and Yuka while the man stood behind her with his hand resting gently but firmly on the inside of her elbow as if in case anything went wrong he could quickly yank her out of there.

"Um, Hello. My name is Charlie Cooper and this is my friend Scott McInerney," Charlie smiled softly before toying at the corners of her journal.

Ayumi then noticed the large ring that rested on Charlie's thumb. It had swirly patterns but when it got fatter at the middle the pattern changed into three quarter ovals but the part that astounded Ayumi was that a chunk of the ring didn't have a pattern on it. Where the ovals where, a rectangle was blank as if the person that was designing the ring got bored and didn't finish it.

"Can I see your ring?" Ayumi asked before she could stop herself.

Everyone turned to look at Ayumi. Charlie and Scott in confusion, her friends in shock.

Charlie didn't take long to decide on her answer as she simply pulled the silver ring off her thumb and onto Ayumi's waiting palm.

As soon as the warm metal touched her skin, Ayumi's head whipped back and her eyes didn't see her kitchen ceiling.

/

There was a boy. He was about seventeen. His hair was black and spiky while his eyes were a shocking light blue. His white shirt was covered in red blood to match his red tie. He was saying something. "I'll protect you. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

The scene changed. The boy's words kept playing though, like a broken record. Now it was in a bathroom stall. A girl with chestnut brown hair and blonde high lights hung from a noose while her hazel eyes stared into nothing.

"I'll protect you."

They were in a hallway. They were running. Turning around, Ayumi could see that a girl was falling behind. Ayumi felt her hand go out and grab the blonde's arm and yank her forward. There was another flight of stairs so rushed up them. Before they could sigh in relief, Ayumi saw yet another flight of stairs. Turning to the small blonde with dark blue eyes, Ayumi felt determination flood through her body. But before she could do anything, the girl flung herself down the stairs and into the awaiting grins of the ghost children.

"I'm right here."

Now it was a girl with piercings and black hair with dark brown eyes. There was a lot of blood gushing out of her stomach as she uselessly moved her weak arms and mumbling, "Leave. Go. He'll...come." Her eyes quickly lost their light and her arms fell to her sides.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Then there was green. Green everywhere. It was water. But then the green disappeared just as Ayumi thought her lungs were gonna burst. In her arms was a small girl with brown hair and a purple jumper with ears on the hood. She wasn't breathing. No matter how much air Ayumi blew into her lungs.

"Don't look."

There was an earthquake. Everything began to shake. Suddenly a huge crack appeared in the ground and a boy fell through. Two arms shot out and caught him but Ayumi could feel the strain on her arms as she held him up. The boy had blonde hair and green eyes full of fright. It was almost as if someone was on the blonde haired boys legs and tugging strongly. One final yank and the green eyes boy disappeared into the darkness.

"Don't watch."

It was the boy with the black hair again. He was tied to a chair and had a knife lodged in his thigh. One of his eyes were missing and he kept pleading for Ayumi to look away. Something shiny caught Ayumi's eye. It was scissors. Raised high in the air. Before it came sailing down towards the boy's heart.

"Shinozaki? Shinozaki! Are you ok? What happened? You kept mumbling about protecting someone. Shinozaki? Ayumi?!"

It was Yoshiki. But Ayumi wasn't listening. She was looking at Charlie Cooper who's purple eys were clouded as if every dark thing she saw was stored in them. But now Ayumi knew why.

"You were at Heavenly Host."


	4. Chapter 3

"Hey guys, check this out."

Charlie looked up at the small blonde's request. Emma had her long, blonde hair straight again with her black hairband in. Her dark blue eyes were full of happiness against her creamy, glowing skin. Her long-sleeved, white dress came to above her knees and it had a brown belt at the waist as well as the droopy, black bow on the neckline that showed her collarbones. She stood over at her laptop next to Erin who was looked over her small friend's shoulder.

Erin had long, black hair and dark brown eyes framed by black eyeliner. There was a black ring on her red lips and other piercings on her eyebrow, nose and ears. She had a leather fingerless glove on her right hand and a studded bracelet on her left. Her top was low cut, black leather belly top and her skirt was crisscrossed with the colours red and black with a studded belt loosely draped over her hips.

Charlie always joked about how Erin would "Scare off the kids" before rubbing her arm where Erin had punched.

"What is it?" Charlie asked.

"Get off your lazy ass and see," remarked Erin as she stared down at Charlie who sat a few desks away.

Andrew snorted as he leaned against Charlie's desk and pretended not to notice her glare. Andrew had spiky blonde hair and green eyes that glittered as if he was planning another way to prank you. His bleached scarf was draped loosely around his neck above his tight, grey t-shirt. His light blue jeans were tight and he wore black converse. In his fingers was his black and white football he always carried.

Charlie grunted in annoyance before nudging lightly at Andrew's calf and getting up to walk to Emma and Erin.

Before Charlie could read what was on Emma's laptop screen, Drummond skidded into the classroom followed by Scott who had Rachel on his back. A few seconds later Jade briskly walked in, muttering something about how "Running ruined her hair."

Drummond had black,spiky hair and electric blue eyes that were above a mouth that was normally a scowl but now a grin that he only showed to his small group of friends. His cheeks were tinted red, the same colour as his tie on his white shirt that had the sleeves rolled up. His skin was pale against his black skinny jeans and dark blue trainers.

Scott looked how he usually did. Red cheeks, grinning mouth, blue headphones around his neck, orange t-shirt, blue jeans and black trainers.

Rachel who had dismounted her tall friends back now perched herself on the desk to Charlie's left. Her dark brown hair was slightly frizzy as she pushed down her purple hood with fuzzy ears. Her light grey eyes stared at her small hands as she swung her legs that were covered in blue skinny jeans.

Jade leaned against the desk that Rachel was on and attempted to fix her hair that wasn't actually messy. Her hair was a chestnut colour with blonde high lights and in waves down her back. She has tanned skin and hazel eyes. She wore a white belly top with dark denim, high waisted shorts and white trainers.

Charlie turned back to the laptop and read the article.

She looked up and saw her friends looking at her expectantly.

"What does it say?" Drummond eventually asked.

"It's a...charm thing?" Charlie looked at Emma, confused.

"The Sachiko ever after charm," Emma announced as she took a step back to look at everyone. She pulled out a white paper doll from her brown satchel. "We all chant 'Sachiko we beg of you' for the amount of people with you and then we grab a piece and pull it at the same time so we each get a scrap of paper."

The whole room was silent.

Drummond snorted. "What is the point of it?"

"So we can be friends forever, dumbass," Erin glared. "I mean, _I _think it's cool."

Charlie glanced at the article again, "If we do this doesn't that mean we have to put up with Drummond's whining forever?"

Everyone burst into laugher while Drummond looked dejected.

When they had calmed down the looked at each other.

_Forever doesn't seem so bad with these idiots behind me, _Charlie thought.


End file.
